


ignorance ended the iguana

by sharkboyz



Series: nct: a magical alternate universe [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Music Store, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angels, Castles, Demons, Fights, Freeform, Haunted Houses, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Librarians, Lowercase, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Mentioned Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Prophecy, Spirits, Tags Are Hard, Time Travel, Windows - Freeform, he wants to sleep, johnny is from not 2018, jungwoo is tired, jungwoo is... done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16412576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkboyz/pseuds/sharkboyz
Summary: "don’t go into that house.”jungwoo was at the house.orjungwoo, in all honesty, just wanted to sleep.that house, however, would not let him.





	ignorance ended the iguana

  jungwoo was sitting in the coffee shop, the autumn leaves falling onto the ground outside.

taeyong sat down across from him, placing a mug in front of him. “as the barista, i shouldn’t be sitting here with you, but my boss isn’t here. so, i don’t care.”

“oh, i don’t want you getting in trouble. i’m just here to write,” jungwoo chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. “yeah, i know, but we don’t get to hang out often. plus, it’s sicheng working, and he can hold down the fort by himself.” taeyong assured him, “whatcha writing?” he asked, peering over to see jungwoos laptop.

jungwoo quickly closed it, “you know what i’m writing, but you can’t look at it.” taeyong pouted, “woo, i’m your best friend.” jungwoo nodded, “yes, i know, however, _i_ consider it bad luck. you know this.”

taeyong sighed, leaning back in the booth. “fine, tell me about your day, then.” he changed the subject, and dove into the conversation.

 

↭

 

  jungwoo walked around downtown, enjoying the scenery. the trees were wrapped in lights, most of the shops had jack-o-lanterns and other halloween props outside. the crisp air made the night that much better, the entire aura of the night made flowers bloom in his chest, and jungwoo couldn’t be happier.

 

that’s whenever he passed by a house, a well known house to his town; it was old, faded in a way, but everyone knew someone lived there. the yard was well kept, but the vibe that radiated off of it was something that scared people away. it made people spread rumors and form lies, it was the unknown that drove people away.

jungwoo, however, never felt that fear. he felt curiosity, a force pulling him towards the house like a magnet. he knew curiosity killed the cat, yet, he also knew ignorance ended the iguana. tonight that pull was oddly strong, almost as if someone were taking their hands and quite literally pushing him to the steps. that’s when he felt a tug at his wrist, and before he knew it-- something _yanked_ him so hard he almost fell to the ground.

he hadn’t even realized he was at the bottom of them. walking up the steps, he grew confused. this wasn’t jungwoo moving, he couldn’t stop himself. as he touched the doorknob, he managed to get ahold of himself, and he turned around and ran towards his apartment building.

 

when he reached home, he couldn’t get his mind off that building. jungwoo told himself he’d never go back, but he knew that wasn’t happening.

 

as the clock struck two a.m., jungwoo was still awake. he knew he wouldn’t sleep after that, the way something literally pushed him, and the way he couldn’t control himself when he walked up those steps. he had to know what that was, he had to find out what it meant.

hopping out of bed, he set an alarm for six am, grabbed his computer, and headed to his kitchen. setting up at the table, he grabbed an empty journal/notebook, a pen, and plugged in his laptop.

it was going to be a long night.

 

  after about two hours of research, jungwoo hadn’t found anything valuable. he read up on possession, vengeful spirits, and other things of that sort. but this wasn’t that, no, he couldn’t describe what happened last night, but it wasn’t evil. it didn’t feel safe, or good, but it didn’t strike fear into his heart. the flowers in his chest turned to bare branches, yes, but it was more of a creeped out feeling.

 

↭

  after jungwoos alarm went off, he exited his apartment building, heading towards the library. there, he saw kun, his favorite librarian. “kun! hey, could you help me with something?” he asked, walking over to him. as they both collected books, sitting down across from each other at a table towards the back.

they showed each other what they found, writing everything down.

 

jungwoo, quite honestly, was still lost. and because kun wasn’t there, he wasn’t exactly sure what to look for. however, there was _one_ thing he found for jungwoo that he considered valuable.

whenever jungwoo started reading it, something clicked. “okay, thanks kun. i’ll see you friday, yeah?” he asked, gathering his things and putting his jacket on. “uh, yeah, i guess. also, don’t forget to check out.”

 

↭

 

  at home once more, jungwoo found himself connecting a few dots about “ _destianas_ ”, something that was in that book kun had found. he couldn’t pronounce it, no, but he knew it was a spirit of some sort.

in the book, it says, “these lively spirits are only there to help. if you are, quite literally, pushed or pulled to a place-- the likelihood of one of these mischievous creatures being involved is very high. it is best to do research on the place before following them, as to be prepared for what may come.

remember, they are very playful. and while they are there to help, they will always find some way to have fun.” jungwoo read aloud, looking up from the book as he finished reading. “destiana?” he said curiously, unsure if his pronunciation was correct. jungwoo set the book down, walking to his room and grabbing some clean clothes. he needed to shower, that was the first thing he was going to do. after that, he’d head down to town and find some more information about the old house on the end of Clock Men St.

 

  after he changed into a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, black jacket, and black sweatpants. slipping on some nike sneakers, he walked outside and headed towards a small record shop downtown. the man who owned it was rather old, and a retired police officer. jungwoo knew that if anyone had information on the house, it would be him.

 

as he entered the shop, he saw a man sitting behind the counter at the back of the store. “hi, is mr. kim in today?” he asked, walking up to the counter. “no, sir. he’s out of town for the next week. can i help you?” the man questioned, setting down the book he was reading. it was leather, and the words inside looked handwritten-- jungwoo couldn’t make out what it said, as he only glanced.

“maybe? i know mr. kim knows a lot about the town, and i just wanted to know about the house at the end of--”

“-- Clock Men street? i had a feeling someone like you would be coming in some time, i’m ten, mr. kim is a family friend. you are?”

“o-oh, i’m jungwoo.” jungwoo was rather confused, and he was sure his expression showed that. “nice to meet you! nice name, by the way. i have a feeling we’re going to get along,” he smiled, and jungwoo, for some reason, smiled back.

 

↭

 

  ten had taken jungwoo into the back of the store, sending a kid named jisung out to run the cash register and help customers out. he explained that mr. kim was letting him stay in the apartment above the store while he sorted out his life, and that jisung was his grandchild.

he also explained that mr. kim, was in fact, his mentor. “our families go way back. they traded spells and potions, so like, we’re practically blood-related.”

“i’m sorry, what?”

that’s when things got _truly_ interesting, and jungwoo was introduced to a world he didn’t even knew existed.

 

“you’re a witch?” jungwoo asked slowly, looking at the guy in front of him.

“warlock, but they’re the same thing, so yeah. i know this is weird, but i had a premonition about you. well, not me, but jisung did. he’s just shy, so i’m handling this for him.

listen, i’m here to tell you that house is off limits. it has a hex on it for a reason, ya know. we don’t just hex anything.”

jungwoo opened his mouth to speak, closing it, and then opening it once more. “aren’t hexes supposed to repel and protect things?”

ten nodded, “yep.” he leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the table.

“so people can’t, like, step on the property?” jungwoo asked, placing his elbows on the table. “no, they’re too scared. plus, if they even had a thought of going in, the hex would shut it off,” ten explained. “so why was i able to touch the doorknob?”

it seemed like it took ten a few moments to process what he had just heard, as his reaction was _very_ delayed. when it processed, his eyes went wide, and he fell out of his chair. “wha-what did you just say?” he got up on his knees as he looked across the table, brows furrowed. “this can’t be happening. jisung, close the shop!” he yelled, standing up and walking to the store. jungwoo stayed where he was, waiting for ten to return.

 

  when he came back, he walked right past jungwoo and up the stairs. he then came back down, huffing and looking at jungwoo. “follow me,” and, jungwoo did.

reaching what he assumed was tens apartment, he was met with books upon books, all on shelves and some stacked on chairs.

“yuta should’ve told me this was happening soon, his dusty ass is busy with _‘dongyoung,’_ gay ass can’t even tell me when a prophecy is coming true, can’t believe he would do this to me.”

 

at that moment, jungwoo swore he heard a knock on the window. “oh, _now_ he shows up!” ten sounded very annoyed, dropping the book he picked up and walking to the window. when he opened it, there was a man.

“oh just taking your sweet precious time, aren’t you?” yuta(he assumed) griped, stepping inside the apartment. “yeah i could say the same exact thing about you, fucker. can’t even tell me when prophecy 1x13 is coming true. i, honestly, feel betrayed.” ten replied, and while he seemed mad, there was a playful undertone to his words.

“why do you think i’m-- oh! hello, you must be jungwoo.” yuta walked towards him, wearing something jungwoo did not expect. he was wearing a movie poster t-shirt, (scream, to be exact) and black jeans with a pair of boots. it was rather casual for someone who just walked in from the window.

“you would be correct, yes.” jungwoo replied, voice hesitant. “yuta, get away, you’re scaring him. he has no idea what’s going on,” ten said, standing beside yuta and shoving him away. “i’m literally an angel, i can’t scare people.” at that, ten rolled his eyes. “when they’re ridden with anxiety, yes you can. anyways, jungwoo, i am so very sorry you’re being brought into this. the prophecy…”

“isn’t in place. it’s not set for another eighty years, and hopefully, you’ll all be dead and i’ll be retired by then. i am here, to say, jungwoo is gifted. first in his family, actually!”

ten grinned at that, “oh it’s always so exciting when they’re new--” his smile fell, “--so why is the house calling him?” ten asked, and jungwoo didn’t even have a chance to speak up. he looked very lost, eyes going from yuta to ten.

 

“jungwoo here is here to go into the house.

that’s all i know.” yuta told ten, who crunched his nose. “i don’t like it.”

“yeah, i don’t either,” jungwoo spoke up, leaning against the wall. “sorry about it, but the destiana’s are dead set on it. said your creative mind can help someone trapped in there. i assume you write?” yuta tilted his head, waiting for a response.

jungwoo nodded, “mainly sci-fi, or thrillers.”

at that, ten seemed surprised. “i took you for a teen fiction kinda guy,”

jungwoo shook his head, “teen fiction is dry, most of the time. generalizing it, at least. my audience could be teens, but that all depends on the publisher.” at that, ten nodded. “i see. maybe i could read your stories?”

“or you could buy the book…”

“that sounds much better, yeah, i’ll buy it. yuta, you should buy it.” ten looked at the taller, a smile on his face. “i own every book in the world, trust me, i have it somewhere. anyway, i gotta-- as the kids say-- blast. bye, don't die!” yuta walked towards the window, waving as he stepped on the windowsill and jumped.

“i-- wha-- who?” jungwoo wasn’t sure where to start, and ten didn’t know where to begin.

 

eventually, ten gave jungwoo seven books to take home. “i’m sure these will help you grasp our world, and give you an insight into it. after you read those, i’ll help you with those powers of yours. but for now, stick to those. and _don’t_ go into that house.”

 

↭

 

  jungwoo was at the house. he felt bad about it, going against ten, but he couldn’t sleep. again.

the man hadn’t slept in about twenty-seven hours, and if going into that house meant he could sleep, he was gonna go into the fucking house.

he didn’t need those pesky ass ‘destiana’s’ to push him, no, he was walking _himself_ to that front door.

as soon as he reached it, though, the flowers in his chest came back. and as he gripped the doorknob, their thorns wrapped around his lungs, making their way to his throat.

 _‘oh, this is fear.’_ he thought, putting a hand on his chest. he, now, felt like he was choking. he started coughing, and as he did so, blood found it’s way to his hand. but when he blinked, it disappeared. now, jungwoo wondered, was he the cat, or the iguana?

jungwoo figured he was about to find out.

 

he turned the doorknob, powering through the thorns in his chest.

and upon stepping inside, he was met with something he did not expect.

it was a party. loud music, the bass shaking in his chest. it shook him, and he couldn’t focus on anything because of it.

 

looking around, he noticed everyone at the party(?) was wearing a mask of some kind. werewolf masks, deer masks, clown masks, etc. and he did _not_ like it. he tried pushing himself through the crowd, squeezing between people to try and look around but it was just so packed. someone hit him with their elbow, which made him yelp in surprise. it didn’t hurt, he was just caught off guard. at that sound, however, the music stopped.

eyes were on him.

 

he froze in his place, as only the people(?) around him stopped and stared. the others continued dancing without music. it was extremely quiet. their feet on the floor made no sound, their breathing made no sound, it was completely still and silent.

 

then, the people in masks started walking towards him. the one in the deer mask, however, looked extremely threatening. that’s why jungwoo bolted. he scurried through the crowd, unsure of where to go. he didn’t know this house, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do here.

during his thoughts of being utterly confused, someone threw a lamp at him.

luckily, jungwoo had good reflexes. he ducked down, popping back up and throwing a vase at Wolf Mask, who threw the lamp at him.

 

Wolf Mask was definitely not happy, as shards of the vase stuck to his face. he looked for a second more, noticing how it _bled,_ so perhaps… perhaps these were not realistic masks, maybe these were their real heads. after breaking from his thoughts, jungwoo took that as an opportunity to run of the stairs, however, halfway up someone grabbed his ankle, pulling him down. jungwoo quickly turned around, taking his foot and shoving Deer Mask(?) off of him. scrambling upstairs, he was met with a long hallway. no doors on the side, but one at the end. it had lights around it, like a vanity, that turned on and off in a loop. covered in caution tape, boarded up with wood, and a giant lit up sign that read “DO NOT ENTER”

groaning, jungwoo walked down the hall.

 

reaching the door, jungwoo sighed, letting his head hand. “you could’ve just left it alone, but no, you had to be curious. you had to go to the library, you _had_ to find ten. you’re the cat, and you’re gonna die.” he said to himself, putting his hands on one of the boards on the door, gripping it and pulling. it came off easily, and he hoped the other ones would too.

they did, and soon the door was clear.

opening it, he was met with darkness. pulling out his phone, and turning on the flashlight, he peered inside. inside the room was an old, dusty bedroom. hesitantly, he stepped inside, looking around before going any further.

 

the destianas had other plans, though. once again, he felt something grab his wrist, pulling him towards a door on the other side of the room. he tried to escape the invisible hand, yanking his hand back only to be pushed towards the door.

“no. i wanna look around, please, chill out,” he said softly, and as jungwoo moved away from the door, nothing bothered him. letting out a soft thank you, he began walking around the room. finding a lamp, he turned it on and looked around the desk. it was covered in stickers, and it had a few books on it, it was dusty and old-- as was the whole room. there were posters from bands from the 1980s, he assumed. there were pictures on the wall, all were of groups of people besides one. looking closely, he saw a familiar face: ten.

he was rather surprised, as this room was _very_ dated, and ten was dressed in rather dated clothing. then again, jungwoo didn’t know the lifespan of a warlock, or how they aged, so could he really be surprised?

 

he noticed that a lot of the pictures included ten next to a taller man, he was attractive, too, black hair wore messy, rather nice fashion taste.

moving on, he didn’t find anything else. he found some journals, filled in a language he didn’t know but recognized as the language ten was reading the day he met him. he said, “the ancients” used it, and that jungwoo would have to learn it too.

so, the person in this house was a magical person of some sort.

nice.

 

jungwoo found himself at the door. he paused for a brief moment, wondering if he should go back, but ultimately he decided against it. he knew if he turned back, he would face the consequences of himself, and he didn’t want that.

  pushing the door open, he saw emptiness. it was cold, too, and echo-y. as he took a step, he was afraid there would be no floor.

thankfully, there was a floor. and as soon as he stepped on it, the room lit up. bright white lights blinded him, and he had to squint to see, it was like turning on the bathroom lights in the middle of the night, it hurt and burned, but soon you would adjust, taking a few more steps, away from the other room, the door slammed shut. so loud, he flinched.

opening his eyes more, he saw hundreds upon hundreds of doors. he wasn't trying every one of them, no, he refused to do said thing, instead jungwoo asked the destianas for help.

they (hopefully) happily obliged.

walking past rows of doors, the gentle grasp on his wrist guided him to a door in the middle, to the far left. it was interesting, almost as if it belonged to a castle or mansion. double, oak wood doors, with tree branch engravings.

 

it opened by itself, and jungwoo assumed it was the destianas.

entering the door, he was met with stone walls and floors, stained glass windows and a torch to his left. it wasn’t lit, as it was ever so strangely daytime.

it was night time, he was sure of it, but not here, apparently. as he was frozen, his feet began to move themselves, walking down the hall. “no, no, stop, _stop,_ ” he whispered, looking around himself, trying to get the destianas attention. his feet, however, did not stop. he didn’t like it, but he had to give in to the strange spirits.

 

jungwoo was then pushed into the wall, behind a corner, as people walked by. he could see them going down the hall, and they were dressed in… not modern clothing. at all. he was then sure, that he was in the royal ages.

fantastic.

jungwoo was in a graphic t-shirt and sweatpants with sneakers, he definitely didn’t blend in. he would have to sneak around, he supposed, and he was going to have to be good at it.

 

as his feet carried him to the hallway straight ahead, jungwoo couldn’t help but feel a rush of severe anxiety. he wanted to stop, stop walking and just take a breather, but he couldn’t. he couldn’t do that. the spirits wouldn’t let him, his world was spinning and he couldn’t even stop and process what was happening. he couldn’t ask the spirits to slow down because he couldn’t bring attention to himself, and this was all so messy and he didn’t even one second to process--

“AH!” he was torn out of thoughts, bumping(practically _running them over_ , actually) into someone, some man. he froze, control over his body once more, and he looked at said man. tall, black hair, clothes matching the time period they were in-- oh, _oh?_ shit, what the fuck? this was that guy, that guy with ten! _the_ guy. he thinks, anyway. he was doubting himself a lot right now. probably the lack of sleep, and the overwhelming amount of shock.

 

jungwoo didn’t say anything, he was now processing, or trying to process what was happening. there was a man, who he saw in pictures at the house he was once in, with ten who he knew from his personal life, in this alternate reality of some sort.

cool! great! fan-fucking-tastic! what the fuck was going on?

now, jungwoo did not realize he said all said things out loud where mr. tens friend could hear.

“y-you know ten?” the man sputtered out, shock written on his face. “wait, you’re from modern times, aren’t you? oh my god, what year is it?”

“i-- it’s 2018-- who are you?”

“johnny, and it’s 2018? you’re not joking, are you? fuck, i’ve been here for that long? oh my god, how did you get here? can you back home?” he-- johnny-- replied, keeping his voice hushed.

jungwoo, being bombarded with questions on the verge of a panic attack, could not look at johnny. he looked down at his feet, counting seven on repeat, taking deep breaths, trying to steady himself. “are you okay?” johnny asked softly after a long pause, looking at the other. jungwoo slowly looked up, breath a little ragged, but stabilizing. “i’m... new to this,” complete understatement.

“okay, um, come with me.” johnny (gently) grabbed his hand, guiding him down the halls. they began walking quickly, but as footsteps could be heard behind them, they picked up their pace. johnny looked behind them, “okay, we’re almost there, don’t worry.”

and, for some reason, jungwoo didn’t.

 

  they found themselves in a room, and johnny said it was ‘his own chambers’, so no one should be bothering them. they mainly just looked at each other for a good five minutes, and jungwoo knew johnny was waiting for him to speak. when he did, he had johnny's full attention.

“well, first of all, i’m jungwoo.”

“nice to meet you,”

jungwoo flashed a smile, “and i just learned about magic earlier today. yeah, no, ten told me not to come here, but the destianas had other plans, and i couldn’t sleep. so, here i am. who are you, again? i’m so sorry, i forgot your name.”

johnny looked surprised, and then he chuckled, and jungwoo really liked that sound. “i’m johnny, and i’m really impressed the destianas messed with you since you’re so new, they’re usually timid when it comes to new magic users. but also unpredictable, so.” he shrugged, still smiling, “you said it’s 2018, correct?”

jungwoo nodded, “yes i did say that.”

“so i’ve been here for… gosh, thirty years? almost forty? that’s wild, i can’t believe…” he trailed off, taking a moment to process this new information. “you don’t look like you’re a day over 20, though,” jungwoo voiced his thoughts, voice quiet. “i was cursed, actually, to be frozen in a time i don’t know. broken by-- oh, _oh!_ wow, you’re-- oh my god! this is,” he took a deep breath, coming to a realization, grin on his face. “i don’t want to freak you out, so we should discuss this later after we get out of here?” jungwoo nodded, not questioning it. truth is, he wasn’t sure how much more he could handle today.

 

  they exited the room, carefully walking down the hall. johnny made jungwoo stay between him and the wall, that way it would be less likely to see him. they made their way through the halls, jungwoo guiding johnny to the door he came through.

arriving at the door, jungwoo looked at the taller,  “magic’s tricky, isn’t it? so there’s a possibility it might not--” suddenly, something shoved him into the door, very strongly, may he add. he groaned, pushing himself away from the door. “nope, okay, it still works.” he moved his hand to the handle, and johnny was left speechless. the destianas were tossing jungwoo like a rag doll, he could only imagine what else they did to him. (they actually shoved him down the stairs of tens apartment, earlier.)

 

jungwoo stepped through the door way, only to be led to another stone hallway, “well, this isn’t exactly where i came from, but the house was _very_ tricky. i doubt anything changed in the hour or so i’ve been gone.” to that, johnny nodded “well, let’s hope things go well from here.”

“knock on wood.”

johnny chuckled, “what?”

“knock on that door or so help me god, i am not prepared to deal with things going batshit crazy because you wouldn’t knock on a piece of wood.” jungwoo said, turning around to face johnny. “shit, i just snapped at you. sorry, i’m really tired right now… but still, you should knock on the door. it wouldn’t hurt,” johnny was quite intrigued by jungwoo, he wouldn’t lie. maybe it was because jungwoo was from modern times, but he really was something else.

 

johnny didn’t knock on wood. no. and now here they were, running away from the guards of the castle for being “trespassers” it was great, super _duper_ fun, in jungwoos opinion. the duo took a sharp turn left and found themselves inside a tight closet space in the off to the right side of the hallway. it was cramped, jungwoo and johnny were squished together; as in jungwoos head was right under johnny's head, his hands stuck between himself and the others chest. it was quite weird, this position with someone you barely knew, jungwoo found himself wondering if johnny felt the same way. (p.s., he did. but he also didn’t mind it.)

johnny peeked out, seeing if anyone was out there, and when he didn’t see anyone he stepped out of the closet, into the hallway. jungwoo followed, walking beside him whenever he came to a halt. johnny looked at him, a ‘what the hell are you doing?’ look on his face.

“it’s the destianas,” jungwoo said quietly, sighing as he tried to move his feet. the mischievous spirits took no mercy, and kept him glued to the ground. “look, i’m not sure what you’re getting at, but this isn’t very logical, so please let me move,” jungwoo whispered, looking around where he stood. they had to be somewhere around him, he knew that.

 

johnny watched with amusement, and waited to see what happened before he commented on the situation. when the spirits let jungwoo continue walking, that’s when he let his thoughts be heard. “you know, they don’t just listen to everyone. have they always let you tell them what to do?” he asked, slowing down his pace so jungwoo could keep up. he had long legs, jungwoo wasn’t to blame for this. “they left me alone at the house, and when i asked last time they didn’t listen, but i guess now they’re willing too.” he answered honestly, looking up at johnny. “that’s interesting. they must like you, then.” he looked behind them, making sure no one was coming. they walked a little longer, and then a little bit more, and more until the two grew tired. after walking, searching, looking, whatever you want to call it, for thirty or so minutes; johnny noticed something. nothing had changed.

that’s when he paused, taking a few steps back, looking at the wall to his right.  “did we make a square…?” johnny asked jungwoo, who shook his head. “no, we’ve been heading straight this whole time. why?”

johnny motioned for jungwoo to stand beside him, which he did. “oh.”

“oh indeed.”

“so... we’re in a loop?” jungwoo questioned. “i guess so,”

to their right was the closet they were hiding in earlier. what they don’t know is that they had passed that closet three times prior to actually noticing.

 

“how do we get out of it? you know more about magic than i do,” jungwoo stated, yawning at the end of his sentence. it was cute, but now wasn’t the time for johnny to think about that. “usually, when there’s a loop, it means there’s something you’ve failed to notice.” he walked around, taking a turn, only to end up walking down the same hallway where jungwoo stood by the closet. “say, where did the destianas stop you?”

jungwoo hummed, “well, we had just stepped out of the closet, we walked for a few steps, so maybe about--” his feet carried him to where the destianas froze him, and here jungwoo was, frozen once more. “here. yeah, it was here.”

“are you sure?”

“dead positive.”

johnny looked around jungwoos area, moving his hands against the walls in case there was a hidden passage, he examined the glass stained window, and then the floor. he was so focused, he didn’t even notice jungwoo was trying to get his attention. “hm? what?” he asked, standing up, turning to face the younger. “the stained glass. it changed every time we looped,”

“what does that mean?”

“i’m not sure, but it was a white rabbit last time. he had a flask, and a pair of glasses. i found it odd,” jungwoo replied, leaning against the wall behind him. his feet still stuck to the floor. now, johnny observed the stained glass. now, it was big ben, with a humanoid figure on it’s hand. ‘ _huh, it’s like peter pan’_ he thought to himself, smiling slightly. ‘ _wait, it was a white rabbit last time--’_ johnny reached a conclusion as soon as jungwoo did.

“they’re stories!”

“it’s childrens books!” they said at the same time, grinning as they did so. making eye contact, johnny could see how tired jungwoo was, but he also looked interested, and excited. “so... we have to go through it?” jungwoo proposed, raised an eyebrow at the idea. “i don’t think so, no. if we go through this now, then it would probably take us to peter pan, in london.” johnny replied, looking at the window. “so, we need to find our window?”

johnny nodded, “yep! okay, let’s get to walkin’.”

 

  as they walked, they stirred up conversations, such as “favorite childhood story?”,“favorite disney movie?”, “you don’t know what nemo is? what about the lion king?”, and “dude, we _have_ to watch stranger things when we get back, you’re seriously going to love it.” and johnny believed him, he was excited to catch up on the real world when he got back.

 

  “what’s with the significance in windows?” jungwoo pondered out loud, looking at what felt like the millionth window they had passed. it was cinderella, with a pumpkin carriage and a glass slipper. “how do you mean?” johnny asked, sitting down on the floor. “well, this, and then window angels? what’s the difference between a door and a window?”

johnny chuckled at the term, “window angels”, but was genuinely intrigued by jungwoos thought process. he caught on fast, and that was good. “doors, they’re obvious, right? a door is so noisy, it’s predictable. backdoors, even, are predictable. you lock your doors, what about you windows?” he asked. “i live on the ninth floor, i don’t think i need to lock my windows.”

“these owners hold the houses to different realities and worlds, surely they don’t need to lock _their_ windows. and yet, here we are, looking at a window that leads us to cinderella.”

“i’m lost,” jungwoo sat across from johnny, crossing his legs as he listened. johnny paused, gathering his thoughts before he continued. “okay, so, there are doors to different worlds. there’s a door to this one, there’s a door to ours, and there’s a door to any story you can think of. but to keep people out, they lock it. and, most of the time, they only unlock for destiny, or if their keeper needs to let someone in, right?” jungwoo nodded slowly, processing the information. “but, everyone has windows too. every world is a house, after all, and people don’t usually lock their second story windows. or their third, or fourth, and so on-- so, it’s a way in, and because a window is so unlikely, no one notices. people don’t watch their windows, put people watch their doors.”

“ah, i see. so, it’s like breaking and entering without the breaking.” he stated, looking at johnny for confirmation. “yes, exactly. about the window angels, though, window angels are more so guardian angels. see, they’re assigned one person at a time, but they never know where this person will be. so, the fairy godmother in cinderella was and is a guardian angel. she came through the castle window, though, cinderella's room, she didn’t just show up like that. that’s actually illegal, you have to _invite_ your guardian angel in. but whatever, it’s a movie. so, they’re given the ability to access windows, travel through them, etc., because it is the safest mode of transportation from world to world.”

“interesting. so, in a way, i’m your window angel?”

“you came through a door, but sure,”

 

  eventually, they found their window. it was the house, a lamp on in one of the windows, and jack-o-lanters on the porch with jungwoo standing in front of the house itself.

“can’t believe i’m not on my own story window,” johnny mumbled, looking at it. “i think you’re the figure in the window.” they stood side by side, and jungwoo leaned into him slightly, looking over at him with a turn of his head. “Ah,”  
“you should open it.” jungwoo told him, motioned to the old, iron handle. “you’re more experienced in magic,”

johnny agreed and gripped the handle. as the two stepped through, they were inside the house. johnny’s room, jungwoo presumed. “okay, we have to get out of here,” johnny said, putting his hand on jungwoos back and guiding him outside of the room. as they went down the stairs, they saw the party.

‘ _great,’_ thought jungwoo, _‘i have to fight animal heads again. and the weird clown thing,’_

“did you have to deal with them?” johnny asked, looking out over the crowd. “yeah, they were… annoying,” he settled on annoying, as they weren’t too hard to fight earlier. “i’m guessing they’re not as strong as before, as the magic is wearing off.” johnny assumed, stepping into the crowd. his grip was tight around jungwoos wrist, and they were about to open the door when a crashing sound could be heard. “oh boy,” johnny muttered, and jungwoo couldn’t help but wonder how many vases and lamps this place had. “i just wanna go to bed,” jungwoo whined, grabbing johnny's arm and resting his forehead on his. “i know, babe, just hold on a minute.”

 _‘wha-- babe? what was that?’_ jungwoo felt a blush creep up his cheeks, but now was not the time to deal with that, no, he had minion things to deal with.

maybe. johnny seemed to have it under control, saying stuff in a language jungwoo didn’t understand, summoning items and hitting the creatures with said items. jungwoo had to fight, though, the Wolf Head thing was now after him, and jungwoo somehow in a panic found a basebat in his hand. wacked the _shit_ out of the thing, no mercy, and that’s when the house began to shake. jungwoo rushed towards johnny, who was heading towards the door. “what’s going on?” jungwoo asked loudly, trying to get his voice heard over the wind and rumbling. “i don’t know!” johnny replied. that’s when  they crashed through the door, the demon like creatures pushing them outside onto the lawn. it was still night time, and jungwoo found some comfort in that.

 

the house began to fold into itself, and jungwoo watched in amazement. the wind blew so, _so_ hard, and in a matter of seconds, the house had disappeared. in its place was a doorknob, which made jungwoo chuckle. ‘ _a door and it’s keepers,’_ he thought. johnny brought him out of his thoughts, breaking the silence.

“you know there was a prophecy, right?” johnny asked, propping himself up on his elbows. he had landed on his back, and jungwoo hoped he was okay.

jungwoo nodded, trying to catch his breath as he moved to sit down in an upright position. he looked at johnny, all of his attention on him.  
he took a deep breath, smiling as he looking at the younger, “okay, well, you’re my soulmate.”

“i’m your _what_?”  

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> ah! you're at the end! i hope you enjoyed, and i hope you come back for more! i have a lot planned for this series, and i hope you enjoy every installment of it!


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